Checking for a parasitic drain

[Engir]

I am checking for draw in Milliamps and from what I am seeing online this is how I do it with this meter I am unsure the information online is unclear on how to set the dial? I disconnected to negative and put the prons between the negative cable and negative terminal and I am reading 0.00 but I am not sure this is the correct setting on the dial?

 

[JPNinPA]

Your dial needs to be more in the six o’clock area. Near the “A- - - ”. It is in the “Hz” area trying to measure Hertz or frequency.
I would set it on the ‘two hundred m’ that is yellow or orange. The white numbers are for AC. This is a DC system

It is hard to read the words in the pic but you may need to move the black wire over to the ma port next to you have the red wire.

Never look down on anyone unless you are helping them up - Jesse Jackson

 

[Engir]

Your dial needs to be more in the six o’clock area. Near the “A- - - ”. It is in the “Hz” area trying to measure Hertz or frequency.
I would set it on the two hundred m thst is yellow or orange. The white numbers are for AC. This is a DC system

Never look down on anyone unless you are helping them up - Jesse Jackson

so a normal drawl is 50 miliamps on a car how would that translate to this Hz? Where do the probes go in meter?

 

[JPNinPA]

BLACK in COM. RED in mA to the left of the black.

Then RED probe on connector to battery. BLACk probe on (-) neg terminal.


There is no conversion from Hz to Amps.
You werejust in the wrong measurement area.
The mA area reads from zero to the value you set it for.

Never look down on anyone unless you are helping them up - Jesse Jackson

 

[Engir]

BLACK in COM. RED in mA to the left of the black.

Then RED probe on connector to battery. BLACk probe on (-) neg terminal.


Never look down on anyone unless you are helping them up - Jesse Jackson

OK, Thanks I will give this a try in a little while and post the results I am at the gym right now

 

[JPNinPA]

Do not try to start the engine with this reading mA. Just look for drain. Startinf draws lots of current snd may damage the meter.

First read leakage current key off.
It should be 20-50mA.


Never look down on anyone unless you are helping them up - Jesse Jackson

 

[Engir]

Do not try to start the engine with this reading mA. Just look for drain. Startinf draws lots of current snd may damage the meter.

First read leakage current key off.
It should be 20-50mA.


Never look down on anyone unless you are helping them up - Jesse Jackson

I know how to do it, what I do not know or understand is how to set the meter I know I am looking for a max of 50miliamps but what is that in Hz you want me to measure in Hz

 

[Engir]

This makes no sense to me. When I ran the draw test with the settings that you told me this is what I got



I reset the meter to do a DC 20 amp test and moved the red probe to the right side of the black as you can see in the image. I checked the battery and got 12.43 amps so I did the draw test with the same settings that you can see in the image below and the results. what I do not understand about this is the negative sign?



Now this is going to get weird? the last image is of the starter solenoid let me give you the details the negative battery cable is NOT connected the keys are on my belt loop everything is off inside the Jeep. I took a test light one that looks like a screwdriver and all three polls, the ignition wire pole, the battery cable pole, and the wire below the cable that goes from the solenoid to the starter on the solenoid all three have power going to them?



How is it drawing power when the negative cable is NOT hooked up? The fact that all them have power tells me the solenoid is bad but how is it drawing power from the battery without a negative cable?

 

[superj]

It will ground through something else if the negative is disconnected. You have a few other grounds.

 

[Engir]

So let me expain what happened before I posted this thread. I had not done anything with the Jeep for a few weeks waiting on parts for something else at that time the Jeep would start and run when I went back to it the battery was completely drained.



I borrowed the battery you see in the other post earlier today from someone and when I tried to start the Jeep the solenoid only clicks the starter was new in April. (In recent months since buying the Jeep I replaced the starter, battery, and cables they are all new.) Once I found the Jeep would not start that I was only getting the click I started looking into this and from my research online I have a theory that the starter solenoid broke and drained the battery into the starter as I waited for parts killing the battery and bricking the starter.

Is this possible based on the information here is the 10.30 draw in the image coming from the solenoid like I think or am I missing something?

 

[superj]

I am not sure about the 10.30 number part but for sure, your solenoid can be bad and drain the battery. I have had it hapoen

 

[Engir]

I am not sure about the 10.30 number part but for sure, your solenoid can be bad and drain the battery. I have had it hapoen

The 10.30 is what I got on my draw test using 20amp DC setting on the meter. I believe that is what the starter solenoid was pulling from the battery and dumping into the starter

 

[JPNinPA]

I don’t want you to measure Hz.

You had the meter set to Hz in the earlier pic.


Never look down on anyone unless you are helping them up - Jesse Jackson

 

[JPNinPA]

This makes no sense to me. When I ran the draw test with the settings that you told me this is what I got

View attachment 32050

I reset the meter to do a DC 20 amp test and moved the red probe to the right side of the black as you can see in the image. I checked the battery and got 12.43 amps so I did the draw test with the same settings that you can see in the image below and the results. what I do not understand about this is the negative sign?

View attachment 32051

Now this is going to get weird? the last image is of the starter solenoid let me give you the details the negative battery cable is NOT connected the keys are on my belt loop everything is off inside the Jeep. I took a test light one that looks like a screwdriver and all three polls, the ignition wire pole, the battery cable pole, and the wire below the cable that goes from the solenoid to the starter on the solenoid all three have power going to them?

View attachment 32052

How is it drawing power when the negative cable is NOT hooked up? The fact that all them have power tells me the solenoid is bad but how is it drawing power from the battery without a negative cable?

Ok. We all have learning moments. This is one.
The meter set up in the first pic is correct. You need to DISCONNECT the (-) battety terminal and go between the post and lead. It looks like you removed one of two grounds. I cant see. You might try swapping hands. Black to battery post and red to wire. Current is directional and i dont know if your meter will note opposite direction or (-) current.

If you read 0.0 change meter down to 20 mA.


The second image of the meter you are measuring Voltage. “V” is voltage and the ‘- - -‘ with a line over it is DC. The ~ (tilda) means AC. The auto is a DC system. So keep to the ‘- - - ‘ settings.



Never look down on anyone unless you are helping them up - Jesse Jackson

 

[JPNinPA]

The battery you borrowed. What size is it? Was it charged? And what is the CCA rating on the battery?

Charged does not just mean it reads 12.6V . It means it reaches its CCS rating under load or at least 97% of it.



Never look down on anyone unless you are helping them up - Jesse Jackson

 

[JPNinPA]

The probe you mention. Does the light change red and green?
Test it on the good battery. There shoukd be a + clip and a - clip. Connect to the battery respectively + to + and -to -. Touch the top to + and it will turn red. Touch - terminal and it will be green. Touch anything not connected and no light.

So you touched the terminals of solenoid with the + battery connected. The light turned red because there is positive voltage at that terminal.?


Never look down on anyone unless you are helping them up - Jesse Jackson

 

[JPNinPA]

BTW. What is the other red wire on the battery? What does it go to?


Never look down on anyone unless you are helping them up - Jesse Jackson

 

[JPNinPA]

The zero-reading may be due to a blown internal fuse in the multimeter.

This meter is different than yours., but should give a good enough to learn.

https://youtu.be/RkzSub1dtNQ?si=r7_NEZsiUSHPEpff


Never look down on anyone unless you are helping them up - Jesse Jackson

 

[Engir]

The probe you mention. Does the light change red and green?
Test it on the good battery. There shoukd be a + clip and a - clip. Connect to the battery respectively + to + and -to -. Touch the top to + and it will turn red. Touch - terminal and it will be green. Touch anything not connected and no light.

So you touched the terminals of solenoid with the + battery connected. The light turned red because there is positive voltage at that terminal.?


Never look down on anyone unless you are helping them up - Jesse Jackson

Mine is similar to this what you think it is I have no idea.

 

[Engir]

The zero-reading may be due to a blown internal fuse in the multimeter.

This meter is different than yours., but should give a good enough to learn.

Never look down on anyone unless you are helping them up - Jesse Jackson

Did you look at the images how is the fuse blown in those images?